Asklemmy

By this logic, all Americans are terrorists, since they exist under the rule of the US government and haven’t risen up to overthrow it. Therefore, complicit in its actions.

Yes, we are all complicit to some extent (I am not American, but the government I pay taxes to isn't exactly peace-loving either). But there is a big difference between being a private citizen who likely has limited knowledge and interest in what their government does abroad and who would face severe consequences for dissenting, vs. someone who signs up for the fucking military.

You can’t make blanket statements against an entire group of people based on the actions of an organization.

That's true if the venn diagram of "the group of people" and "the organization" is not a circle. I'm not judging all Americans by the actions of it's corporate government and MIC, I'm judging the actual people in those organizations.

Some people treated me like a hero when I arrived; some treated me like a terrorist. None of them actually took the time to know me. I was judged based on the actions of the organization I associated with instead of taking the time to witness how I was trying to influence that organization.

My god, the narcissism in this comment is insane. Of course they judged you for the organization you were with, that's the whole reason you were there in the first place! You weren't just some random American tourist being hated on for being "associated with" the US, you were a soldier of the most destructive empire in history.

I worked with Iraqi citizens who begged us not to leave their country because they hadn’t known peace until we arrived; there was so much violent and murderous infighting between the Shia, Sunni, and Kurds. And having a foreign military power in the area, especially one with our reputation, prevented a lot of deaths and gave local citizens a chance to rebuild and get back on their feet.

This is just straight up propaganda white saviour bullshit. You cannot seriously be that ignorant? Do you know what the death toll from the illegal invasion of Iraq was? Do you know how much the US did to make sectarian divides worse? Educate yourself: https://blowback.show/Season-1

I don’t believe in violence. I don’t believe in supporting rich powerful elites. I joined the military to help empower the working class; to give them the tools and resources to rise up against dictators and take back their rights as human beings.

Okay, it's clear at this point that you're either deluded or dishonest. "I joined this violent organization led by dictators and used to crush anyone who goes against there interests, because I'm against violence and hate dictators!"

Instead of using delusional cope like this to justify imperialism, just be honest about it. You're an American supremacist who, at best, cares about people within your borders but views the rest of the world as Untermensch and thus doesn't mind being part of a terrorist organization as long as the guns are pointed outwards.

If I hadn’t served, there would be at least one unit in Germany who is falling for that fascist propaganda. Every little bit helps.

If you hadn't served, the US empire would have had one less soldier to do its bidding. Also why is there a base in Germany in the first place? Do you think it's normal for a country to have active military all over the world? You would rightly find it unacceptable if any other country did that. Again, American supremacism. Also I love how Trump has got you all so riled up. When it comes to foreign policy, the US has been consistent for decades before Trump (and in many ways it still is). Now that Trump is using tactics at home that were previously only reserved for the inferior non-Americans, you're all up in arms about fascism. You were part of the frog boiling that brought you to fascism, that's your butterfly effect.

Change comes from within.

Sure, keep telling yourself that for another 20 years. If the US government was going to change, it would have done so by now. It is a terrorist entity and I can only hope to see it be replaced by something better within my lifetime. Or just see it collapse honestly, the rest of the world would be better off either way.